BUTCHERS'-BROOM. 43 



to bestow a crown of grass upon their generals ; 

 and this reward for their services, though of so 

 little value in itself, was one of the most honour- 

 able; for it was never given but for some great 

 exploit ; as when an army reduced to the last ex- 

 tremities had been saved from destruction by the 

 skill and courage of the general. 



Besides the Crocus and the grasses, there are 

 several other plants of this class, which you will 

 find growing wild. Do you remember how much 

 pleased you were last winter, in Devonshire, with 

 the plant in the woods that had the pretty little 

 flowers growing on the middle of the leaves ? 



EDWARD. 



O yes ! and it had beautiful red fruit, like cher- 

 ries. What was the name of it ? 



MOTHER. 



Butchers'-broom, Rus'cus aculea'tus. It is in 

 the class Triandria of Withering's arrangement ; 

 but as the stamens and pistils are not in the same 

 flowers, nor even upon the same plants, Linnaeus 

 has placed this genus in the twenty-second class, 

 Dioecia. In general, the berries are not larger 

 than black currants, but the warmth of the climate 

 in Devonshire increases their size. In Italy, the 

 plant is made into brooms, which butchers use 

 for sweeping their blocks ; and from this circum- 

 stance it has obtained its name. 



